Written Answers - Child Care.

Wednesday, 2 May 2001

Dáil Eireann Debate
Vol. 535 No. 2

Page of 208

[802]

204.Ms Fitzgerald
asked the
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
the number of applications in each county for child care support; the number per county applying for the provision of private child care plans; the number applying for community places; the amounts allocated in each category; and the current drawdown.
[12502/01]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue):Under my Department's Equal Opportunities Child Care Programme, 2000-2006, I have approved funding totalling more than £35.4 million to date to numerous child care groups or providers around the country through the provision of capital funding and, in the case of community based child care providers, staffing grants. Funding of £10 million has also been allocated for quality improvement measures such as to support and enhance the national voluntary child care organisations, to encourage the development of local child care networks and local child care training models. Table 1 which follows outlines the number of applications received, by county, under the following headings: capital grant to private sector or self-employed child care providers; capital grant to community based not for profit child care groups; staffing grant to community based not for profit child care groups.

Table 1 – Capital and staffing grant applications received by county up to 30/04/01

County

Private Sector/Self-employedprovider Capital

Community based/Not-for-profitgroups Capital

Community based/Not-for-profitgroups Staffing

Total

Carlow

3

3

5

11

Cavan

3

6

11

20

Clare

5

7

8

20

Cork

26

29

37

92

Donegal

9

15

22

46

Dublin

49

40

74

163

Galway

16

16

27

59

Kerry

6

10

22

38

Kildare

21

2

5

28

Kilkenny

11

1

5

17

Laois

6

5

5

16

Leitrim

6

8

16

30

Limerick

9

3

15

27

Longford

8

2

7

17

Louth

9

3

3

15

Mayo

5

7

19

31

Meath

12

0

2

14

Monaghan

1

10

8

19

Offaly

8

0

4

12

Roscommon

5

5

8

18

Sligo

1

5

8

14

Tipperary

4

11

12

27

Waterford

8

5

7

20

Westmeath

4

2

9

15

Wexford

11

7

12

30

Wicklow

8

6

5

19

Total

254

208

356

818

The Deputy has also asked for details of the funding allocated under each of the categories outlined above. Table 2 details the level of funding committed to date per county under these three headings.

Table 3 provides details of the draw down of [803] funding by the project promoters for the period up to 30 March 2001. In the case of capital grant applications, the difference between the amounts committed and the amounts paid out reflects the fact that payments are made in stages as work progresses. In many cases, building contractors are unable to begin work on projects as soon as had been expected due to other work commitments. In the case of staffing support applications to community-based not-for-profit groups, the [804] difference between the amounts committed and the amounts drawn down reflects the fact that the grants are allocated over a three year period and the requirements placed on groups in relation to recruitment procedures. I have been informed by my Department's equal opportunties childcare section that there will be a marked increase in the actual expenditure by the end of the next quarter. Funding has also been drawn down to date by projects approved funding under the quality improvement category.

Table 2 – Funding approved by county under Capital and staffing grant measures up to 30/04/01

County

Number of grants approved to date

Capital grants to Private Sector/ Self-employed providers£IR

Capital grants to Community based/ Not-for-profit groups£IR

Staffing grants to Community based/ Not-for-profit groups£IR

Total Approved per county£IR

Carlow

4

12,424

0

251,725

264,149

Cavan

11

0

154,644

441,202

595,846

Clare

5

97,950

47,000

31,200

176,150

Cork

51

318,281

1,209,415

3,286,525

4,814,221

Donegal

20

159,517

526,265

429,131

1,114,913

Dublin

92

676,099

3,586,393

6,680,145

10,942,637

Galway

30

112,136

446,586

1,169,685

1,728,407

Kerry

25

66,700

1,114,404

1,688,327

2,869,431

Kildare

12

186,293

19,226

255,258

460,777

Kilkenny

5

110,600

0

107,108

217,708

Laois

6

17,056

3,625

300,368

321,049

Leitrim

18

51,529

682,780

859,930

1,594,239

Limerick

15

55,978

5,000

1,301,367

1,362,345

Longford

9

142,100

18,256

513,250

673,606

Louth

5

35,803

134,210

475,100

645,113

Mayo

17

108,437

67,662

774,300

950,399

Meath

6

163,035

0

0

163,035

Monaghan

8

6,500

339,300

284,900

630,700

Offaly

7

54,064

0

94,187

148,251

Roscommon

12

114,585

35,325

375,969

525,879

Sligo

9

6,403

136,013

434,425

576,841

Tipperary

10

45,325

10,000

657,674

712,999

Waterford

13

150,198

98,862

708,435

957,495

Westmeath

6

42,600

0

476,158

518,758

Wexford

17

74,800

1,231,464

955,098

2,261,362

Wicklow

8

128,975

12,000

116,490

257,465

Total

421

2,937,388

9,878,430

22,667,957

35,483,775

Table 3 – Drawdown of funding approved by county under capital and staffing grant measures up to 30/03/01

County

Capital funding for Private Sector/ Self-employed providers£IR

Capital funding for Community based/ Not-for-profit groups£IR

Staffing funding Community based/ Not-for-profit groups£IR

Total drawdown by county up to 30/03/01£IR

Carlow

0

0

20,000

20,000

Cavan

0

30,000

28,175

58,175

Clare

24,000

0

20,000

44,000

Cork

69,906

200,000

260,000

529,906

Donegal

63,800

0

60,000

123,800

Dublin

143,245

222,463

450,000

815,708

Galway

37,906

16,500

60,000

114,406

Kerry

4,613

254,980

180,000

439,593

Kildare

33,953

0

20,000

53,953

Kilkenny

40,000

0

0

40,000

Laois

5,753

0

60,000

65,753

Leitrim

9,589

112,532

80,000

202,121

Limerick

37,696

3,000

100,000

140,696

Longford

28,000

0

80,000

108,000

Louth

17,803

0

0

17,803

Mayo

12,000

0

20,000

32,000

Meath

40,999

10,383

0

51,382

Monaghan

4,875

42,750

60,000

107,625

[805] County

Capital funding for Private Sector/ Self-employed providers£IR

Capital funding for Community based/ Not-for-profit groups£IR

Staffing funding Community based/ Not-for-profit groups£IR

Total drawdown by county up to 30/03/01£IR

Offaly

7,674

0

20,000

27,674

Roscommon

28,000

12,994

60,000

100,994

Sligo

0

10,313

80,000

90,313

Tipperary

0

3,000

80,000

83,000

Waterford

32,212

50,759

20,000

102,971

Westmeath

0

0

80,000

80,000

Wexford

36,640

53,379

80,000

170,019

Wicklow

35,000

0

20,000

55,000

Total

713,664

1,023,053

1,938,175

3,674,892

Progress in relation to the report's recommendations is, as I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, in view of the complexities of the issue and the multiplicity of service providers involved, at various levels and stages.